Dagger of My Heart
by Mystik Surreality
Summary: Leon had given up on anything but pain... but she's lost as much as he has... can they prove to each other that love can exist after tragedy? [LeonDagger]
1. Daggers and Lions

Dagger to My Heart  
  
-Mystik Surreality-  
  
AN// Yes, and no. That's all I'll say. XD This was my freaky little idea. Set before KH, but after the destruction of the FF8 world causing Leon to come to Traverse Town.   
  
Summary// She was the only survivor of her world's destruction... and he has locked his heart away from the world after the destruction of his. Can they bring each other back into the light, before the darkness destroys them?  
  
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Chapter One // Daggers and Lions  
  
She tried to swallow her grief and stand strong, but she couldn't. She was shaking too hard. Brushing her hair out of her face, she stumbled and her knees hit the ground, hard.   
  
"Oh no, you're another survivor, aren't you?"   
  
A pair of small hands on either arm helped her stand. She looked at her newfound aids, and saw a pair of concerned green and brown eyes on either side.   
  
"Come on. We'll find you a place to sleep off the shock." The one in the pink jumper held her arm comfortingly, and patted it soothingly.   
  
"Who...who are..." she tried to begin, but her throat contracted. The one in pink smiled at her.   
  
"My name is Aerith. My friend here is Yuffie." she explained gently and with a small smile. She nodded as the two led her through a set of doors.   
  
She had no idea where she was, but her mind was too numb to really care.   
  
Everyone... her entire world was gone. Without a trace, completely gone. Tears threatened at the corners of her eyes, but she tried to fight them.   
  
"Don't fight the tears, my friend." Aerith spoke. "The tears are part of the healing."  
  
Somehow, moments later, she found herself laying on a soft, warm bed. She doubted she could sleep without horrible nightmares, but sleep tugged at her. Aerith stood over her and gently touched her forehead.   
  
"Sleep.. No bad dreams tonight. I can hold them away tonight." she whispered. The last thing she saw was concerned eyes.  
  
***************************************  
  
Yuffie glanced over Aerith's shoulder at the sleeping woman.   
  
"Who is she, do you think?" she murmured.   
  
"I don't know... she's not any older than us. Maybe younger." Aerith commented, glancing at her dark haired friend. "She's in shock. Once that wears off, we can figure out if she's the only one left... and where she's from in the first place."   
  
Yuffie nodded. "I guess."   
  
"For now, why don't you go tell Leon that we've got another survivor. It'll do him good to take his mind off... things." Aerith commented. Yuffie agreed with a shudder.   
  
"He still blames himself for her death." Yuffie said quietly. Aerith nodded slowly.   
  
"I know."   
  
Yuffie left the room silently, and Aerith was left alone with the girl. She brushed a few dark strands from the girl's face.  
  
Short black hair... what color had her eyes been? Hazel, if Aerith remembered correctly. Judging by her clothes, which were basically shredded and useless, she was from a less advanced world. But where?  
  
"That's a problem for another time." she murmured. For now, the girl needed to recover... and to grief.   
  
*************************************  
  
Leon tensed instinctively when the door slid open. He didn't turn around. It was either Yuffie or Aerith, anyway.   
  
"Aerith sent me. Told me to tell you that there's a new girl... she was pretty shaken up."   
  
"Was?" he murmured.   
  
"Aerith put her to sleep so she could rest. She looked pretty ragged."   
  
"What world is she from?"   
  
Yuffie shrugged. "We don't know yet, but she was wearing a pair of really ornamental daggers... not kinds I've ever seen."   
  
Leon nodded. "I'll see to her later." he mumbled. Yuffie nodded and left quickly. Once the door had closed behind her, Leon sighed with relief. Yuffie was afraid of him when he was like this, and that didn't help him any.   
  
Sighing, he decided to go see this newcomer. She might prove more useful that Yuffie, at least.  
  
*************************************  
  
She awoke with a start, shivering. As Aerith had promised, no dreams had haunted her rest. She still shook with the fear of her narrow escape.   
  
She closed her eyes and mourned silently until the door opened. In came Yuffie, tray in arms, and what appeared to be the lays of a good lunch on the tray.   
  
"I figured you haven't eaten in awhile, so I brought you some lunch. Sandwiches, fruit, and juice." she explained, setting the tray on the side table.   
  
She smiled politely. "Thank you." She wasn't entirely sure if she could stomach food, but she proved that she was actually very hungry with the first bite of cut pineapple from the tray. She felt a bit of her strength returning with the meal, and glanced at Yuffie.   
  
"What's you're name?" Yuffie finally asked.   
  
She winced. "I am Gar-" she paused. "Dagger. My name is Dagger." She shifted and slid out from under the covers. "You all are far too nice. I shouldn't be imposing."  
  
Yuffie smiled and pushed Dagger back into a siting position. "Don't worry. We only repay the favor of those who helped us get used to being here." she smiled. "So... Dagger... how about you and I go for a little walk? Stretch your legs, and get as much fresh air as Traverse Town offers." she suggested. Dagger nodded slightly.   
  
"Sounds nice." she commented, standing. Her legs shook a little, but she paled when she realized how torn up her clothes were. "Except..."   
  
"Already taken care of." Yuffie gestured at a pile of clothes on a chair. "They should fit. You're about my size."   
  
Dagger smiled politely, sadly. "Thank you."   
  
Yuffie slipped out the door, closing it softly behind her. Dagger quickly peeled herself from the old clothing and donned the new ones. A black skirt, white blouse very similar to her old one, and black ankle boots. She smiled faintly and wondered if these people had thought of everything. 


	2. Stormy Seas

Dagger to My Heart  
  
-Mystik Surreality-  
  
AN// Well, chapter one was really boring. But here's chapter two, when they actually get to meet. The action should start by next chapter.   
  
Summary// She was the only survivor of her world's destruction... and he has locked his heart away from the world after the destruction of his. Can they bring each other back into the light, before the darkness destroys them?  
  
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Chapter Two // Stormy Seas  
  
Dagger crossed her arms over her chest and glanced at Yuffie, who smiled encouragingly. "So, Dagger... how old are you?"  
  
"Nineteen." she replied slowly, her voice a bare soprano whisper.   
  
"Oh! I'm eighteen." Yuffie smiled. Dagger smiled hesitantly.   
  
"This place..." she paused. "Where are we?" She gestured to the buildings around them. Yuffie nodded slightly.   
  
"This is Traverse Town... maybe Aerith should explain it all to you. I'm a bit shaky on all the details." Yuffie stated. Dagger nodded, solemn again.   
  
"She's the newcomer?"  
  
Yuffie jumped and Dagger winced at the sound of the male overtones. She glanced up nervously to appraise the man. He was tall, and had long brown hair. Well toned and dressed mostly in black. His eyes... were stormy seas.   
  
She kicked herself.   
  
'He's nothing like Zidane...' she thought, heart bleeding. Thinking about her love hurt, a lot. 'Why did he even make me think of HIM...?' she tried to hide the pain on her face, but failed. He was so much better at hiding, she thought. He looks like he's feeling nothing.   
  
************************************  
  
Leon hesitated once she looked up at him. Her eyes were hazel, not brown... like his angel's. She was gone. Anger flared, and he kicked himself for letting himself falter even that long.   
  
'But she does look an aweful lot like Ri-' the voice in his head began before he cut all thought off and drilled Yuffie about the girl.   
  
"Where's she from?" he asked roughly. Yuffie paled and glanced sideways at her. The slight girl with dark hair looked away from him.   
  
"I- Well, Aerith said we shouldn't..." she leaned forward. "We didn't want to upset her." she added quieter.   
  
The girl tensed and turned back. "No need... I'm from Alexandria... well, Gaia."  
  
Leon tensed. Her world had the same name as theirs did. "Gaia?" Was Gaia still there?!  
  
"Yes." she paused. "I'm sorry... thank you, Yuffie, but..." she hesitated before she turned tail and all but ran to flee from them.   
  
"I'm sorry, Leon... I'd better follow her." Yuffie murmured, running after the dark haired girl.   
  
Leon turned around and punched the wall. His anger and frustrations didn't fade, but the ache in his knuckles gave him something else to think about... besides her.  
  
********************************  
  
Yuffie hesitated a few feet away from the crate Dagger had sat upon, saying nothing.   
  
"He... Leon... is he always so direct?" Dagger asked slightly.   
  
Yuffie chuckled a bit bitterly. "Yeah... that's Leon." she tried to say any number of things, but none came to her tongue.   
  
Dagger smiled sadly and glanced over her shoulder. "He's hurting." she whispered. She stood and dusted herself off. Yuffie winced at the girl's words.   
  
'How right you are, Dagger...' Yuffie said silently. Her mind screamed to tell Dagger all about Leon's past, about Rinoa's death and about all of his friends... lost before he could try and save them. No words formed.   
  
Dagger smiled faintly. "I think I'd like to talk to walk alone for awhile..."  
  
Yuffie nodded with a smile. "Sure! Just ask for the inn if you get lost. I'll wait for you there."   
  
Dagger nodded mutely before she walked past Yuffie and down the street.  
  
************************************  
  
She hummed to herself, and images passed by her eyes. Tears formed, and fell without hinderance. Her dearest friends, her uncle and aunt... and him. Zidane, the only man she'd ever loved. Her chest heaved from the sobs, the tears staining her face and blotching her shirt.   
  
She couldn't hold the tears back, not anymore. She'd tried to be strong, and it was all crumbling around her. The grief tore at her.   
  
She collapsed to sit upon a set of stairs. She didn't care, at this point, that she was in the open and people could see her crying. She didn't care. None of them were Zidane. None of them were her friends.   
  
She felt a pair of comforting arms around her shoulders. "Cry it out... it only helps, Dagger." Aerith brushed her hair out of her eyes and smiled at the younger girl. "It only lifts the grief." she whispered.   
  
And Dagger cried out her sorrows on Aerith's shoulder. 


	3. Sunlight Scarcity

Dagger to My Heart  
  
-Mystik Surreality-  
  
AN// A little more action here? Maybe I can even get Leon to be civil... *gasp*  
  
Summary// She was the only survivor of her world's destruction... and he has locked his heart away from the world after the destruction of his. Can they bring each other back into the light, before the darkness destroys them?  
  
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Chapter Three // Sunlight Scarcity  
  
A few days passed and Dagger fell quickly into the working of things. Traverse Town was a quiet enough little town, and she found herself appreciating that very simplicity more than anything else.   
  
Oh, Yuffie and Aerith were friendly enough souls. Dagger was starting to trust them, to like them. Friends... that was a tough word to use, but that's what they were becoming to her.   
  
She'd spoken little about her past, about her world. She figured that she could grieve as each hurdle came to her. She could not just hole up in her room and cry for days. She had too much to repay to these kind people.   
  
And that was exactly what brought her and Aerith to the farthest quarter of Traverse Town that afternoon. There had been spotted some strange little creatures, and the two figured they could see to it without taking Yuffie or Leon off patrol.   
  
Wrong doesn't begin to describe it.   
  
Aerith and Dagger were abushed by dozens of the little black creatures. Aerith called them 'heartless', but Dagger wasn't concerned with anymore than surviving.   
  
Defenseless, she couldn't bring herself to touch his daggers so easily sheathed at her waist. So it seemed her doom was upon as they swarmed up her legs. Aerith wasn't going to allow that, though, and took her rod to the creatures with a vengeance.  
  
"Dagger, run!" she yelled. Dagger shook her head and grabbed one off Aerith's back before it could do damage.  
  
"No way. Not unless you're coming." she returned. Aerith stood back to back with her companion and looked around.   
  
"Shoot... it's like they were waiting for us." she mumbled in response. She shifted, blocking another's attack. "We should never have come alone."   
  
Dagger nodded. She heartily agreed, right now. "Is there any way to get word to Yuffie?" she asked.   
  
Aerith sighed. "I wish.... we're alone."  
  
Dagger cracked her knuckles and closed her eyes. She was a summoner and a healer... could she still summon here? She opened her mouth to breath deep. "I may be able... to..." she began, not sure how to phrase her words.   
  
She focused, felt the pull of the summon... but nothing happened. 'No...' she thought in despair. Her hand tensed just out of reach of the daggers at her waist. 'Zidane... I... can't..' And she didn't draw them.   
  
Aerith's scream cut through her reverie, and Dagger whipped her head around to see that Aerith had taken a bad hit to the shoulder and back. Her rod went flying.   
  
Dagger swallowed hard and grabbed the rod, driving away the heartless enough to her to see the extent of her friend's injuries.   
  
'I'm not going to lose another friend so soon.' she thought desperately. She stood over Aerith, guarding her, and using the rod like a club.   
  
It seemed hopeless. She could probably escape on her own, but not with an injured body as well. She swallowed her despair, but the aftertaste of fear was still strong.   
  
"Get down!"   
  
Dagger obeyed out of instinct. She threw herself over Aerith as a blade embedded in the ground a few feet away from her, killing two heartless with it's landing. She looked up and spotted Leon just as he scooped his weapon back up and went to slaughtering the heartless.   
  
Dagger looked down at Aerith and touched the girl's wounds. Her hands glowed faintly as she summoned healing strength and light to encase the wounds. They weren't healed completely, but they wouldn't get worse now.   
  
She stood and watched as Leon mopped up the last of the heartless. He didn't spare her so much as a glance as he looked over Aerith.   
  
"You're a healer?" he mumbled. She nodded. He picked up Aerith and started towards the inn, Dagger trotting behind him with her head down and her eyes filled with tears.   
  
*****************************  
  
Dagger slipped out of the room and noted that Leon still sat on the bench across the hall, arms crossed and head down as if she was sleeping.   
  
"She'll be alright... she just needs to sleep off the effects of my healing potion." Dagger breathed quietly. Leon didn't react and her throat constricted. She wasn't quite sure, but for some reason being around him made her feel like an utter failure.   
  
She closed her eyes and turned around to return into Aerith's room. His voice stopped her.   
  
"You protected her."   
  
She hesitated. "I did as best I could." she returned.   
  
"But you never drew your best weapon." he nodded at her daggers, still sheathed at her waist. She tensed. She feared he would ask her why, but he didn't. He stood and stared at her, finally shrugging, he walked down the hall.   
  
She leaned against the door for support. 


	4. Grief is a Deeper Wound

Dagger to My Heart  
  
-Mystik Surreality-  
  
ANLeon is a prick... that seems to be the popular consensus, eh? Lol.   
  
SummaryShe was the only survivor of her world's destruction... and he has locked his heart away from the world after the destruction of his. Can they bring each other back into the light, before the darkness destroys them?  
  
Chapter Four Grief is a Deeper Wound  
  
Dagger sat by Aerith's bed all night, head swimming. She barely noticed when the room lightened and her patient stirred, though.   
  
"Don't tell me you've sat there all night, little healer." a tired voice interjected into her thoughts.   
  
Dagger blushed. "Yeah, I did..."   
  
"Neither Leon or Yuffie volunteered?" Aerith persisted. Dagger nodded.   
  
"Yuffie did. I-.. I thought it would be best if I stayed, in case something happened during the night..."  
  
Aerith chuckled. "I wasn't hurt that badly, Dagger." She smiled, but Dagger looked down and tensed.   
  
"Aerith.. I... I'm so sorry!" she finally blurted, hands clenched in her lap. Aerith started. That was not something she had expected.   
  
"For what?"   
  
Dagger shivered, like felt a cold that Aerith did not. "It's my fault you got hurt... I couldn't... I didn't draw my daggers and... because of my hesitation you got hurt."   
  
Aerith smiled sadly. "Don't you think I couldn't sense that you were trying some sort of magic? You were trying. It's not your fault that I was caught on my blindside." she caught Dagger's hand and squeezed it. "There's not harm done, anyway, Dagger." she smiled. "I'll be fine by the end of the day."   
  
Dagger tried to smile, but the smile looked stiff.   
  
"Something else is bothering you." Aerith guessed. Dagger stood abruptly and popped the cork open on another bottle.   
  
"Take this. It'll help." she interrupted. Before Aerith finished the potion, Dagger had managed to excuse herself by nearly running from the room.  
  
"Leon, my dear." Aerith crooned. Leon winced. She only tried to act cute when she wanted a favor that she knew he had every right to decline doing.   
  
Glancing at her from where he stood near the window, he waited for her to continue.   
  
"Something's bothering Dagger... and she won't talk to me about it... now I'm not asking you to drill her... but... maybe if you talk to her a little she'll realize she's really not alone."  
  
Leon winced again for good measure. This little 'favor' was like a double kick in the face.   
  
"Please, Leon."   
  
He sighed. "I'll try..." he paused. "I'm a bit curious as to why she refuses to draw those daggers, anyway."   
  
Aerith raised an eyebrow. "You would be most concerned with her fighting abilities."   
  
He mock saluted and left her room without further ado.   
  
He found her wandering the back alleys. "You shouldn't be out this far alone." he stated blandly. She winced at the sight of him.   
  
"I'm sorry. I'll head back." she tried to move past him and he grabbed her arm.   
  
"First, you and I have to talk."   
  
She tensed. "About what?"  
  
He turned to face her better. "Your abilities in battle. You can't rely on healing alone."  
  
She seemed a bit relieved. "I can use a rod, too. I just don't have one." He nodded a little.   
  
"But you do have daggers."   
  
She stiffened like she'd been paralyzed. He released her arm and she looked ready to bolt. "I do... but... I'm not trained in them." she tried. He smirked.   
  
"Then I can train you."   
  
She paled. "But-"   
  
"Why do you carry a weapon you can't use, Dagger?" he asked almost casually.   
  
She opened her mouth to speak but he beat her to it.   
  
"Did you steal them, perhaps?"   
  
"No! I would never!" she protested. He smiled, he'd caught her that easily.   
  
"Then where did you get them?"   
  
She paused and swallowed hard. "I... He... he gave them to me.. Before he died." her voice broke and she turned heel. "I have to go." she managed before he bolted.   
  
'He... just who is this 'he'?' Leon wondered as he watched her retreat. 


	5. A Rude Awakening

Dagger to My Heart  
  
-Mystik Surreality-  
  
ANchuckles I don't think a "Rude Awakening" actually fully describes this.  
  
SummaryShe was the only survivor of her world's destruction... and he has locked his heart away from the world after the destruction of his. Can they bring each other back into the light, before the darkness destroys them?  
  
Chapter Five A Rude Awakening  
  
Peaceful dreaming and a soft bed were quickly replaced by surprise as Dagger was hauled out of bed and into the bathroom where a cold shower was waiting for her. Thrown in with only mild amounts of concern for her welfare, she screeched when the cold water soaked her sleep shirt and froze her.   
  
"Better. You're awake at least."   
  
She looked up, glaring, to find Leon standing cooly in the doorway. She shivered in anger and cold before opening her mouth to speak. He cut her off.   
  
"All things considered, I'll give you another fifteen minutes before I come looking for you again." he commented.   
  
Her jaw dropped. "What do you think you're doing?!" she snapped.   
  
"You're late for the training field, Dagger." he commented smoothly. She stood up and pointed a wet arm at him.   
  
"What makes you think you've any right to-" she started to protest.   
  
"I have every right, Dagger!" he snapped. She started, realizing just how angry he was now. "I'm responsible for making sure the next time you get attack, you and everyone with you comes out alive."   
  
She paled and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.   
  
"Now, get yourself a shower." he extended a cup of something warm and nutty tasting. "Drink up and I'll see you outside in fifteen."  
  
She nodded meekly as he left and she quickly showered and dressed for the day.   
  
She never expected hell on earth was called 'training' here. Even though she was in pretty good shape, she was panting and sweating before half an hour was gone.   
  
"Leon, I'm-"  
  
He jabbed with his practice stick and she jumped, barely knocking it aside before it caught her in the side. She'd already taken a hit to her side... three times. It hurt enough without more.   
  
Smirking, and breathing a little deeper than he had been, he tossed the stick aside and drew his sword. She paled.   
  
"Live steel will break this wooden rod in half." she protested.   
  
He nodded slowly. "I don't want you to use the rod." he gestured at her other weapons, always at her waist. Stalking towards her, she retreated a few steps.   
  
"I.. I ... But I can't!" she panted. He paused.   
  
"Why not?" he asked lightly. She swallowed hard.   
  
"I just can't." she half sobbed. He grabbed her arm, sliding his gloved hand down her arm to her hand. She shivered a little. The leather was soft against her skin. Her cheeks colored a little.   
  
He placed her hand on the hilt of one of the daggers. She winced.   
  
"No, please." she whispered, eyes closed. He looked into her face, intently.   
  
"You can't hesitate." he insisted, closing her fingers around the hilt and pulling it free. She winced, but as he removed his hand she kept holding it. She opened her eyes and stared down at the steel. He nodded slightly, confirming something in his mind. "Now... can you wield them?"  
  
She looked up at him like she was surprised to see him standing there. "I've never wielded them before." she replied quietly.   
  
"We'll start slow then."   
  
Slow, it turned out, was still hell. Dagger was stiff and sore and barely managed to climb the stairs back to her room before she was forced to sit down and rest for a moment.   
  
She heard an amused chuckle from the doorway. "I see you've had a workout with Leon, then."   
  
Dagger tried to glance sideways, but her neck muscles protested.   
  
"Yes... I think he worked me harder than he should have." she murmured. Aerith smirked and brandished a bottle of cream that smelled a bit like cloves.   
  
"Oh, he works us all that hard." she handed the jar to Dagger. "After you bathe, give your sore muscles a good rubdown with that. It'll help get the ache out at least."   
  
Dagger looked up at Aerith with watery eyes of adoration.   
  
"You are a god, Aerith." Dagger mumbled. Aerith just smiled 


End file.
